This invention relates generally to card, picture and sign exhibiting and, more particularly to a device and method for framing articles such as photographs, certificates and the like.
People are always searching for ways to appropriately display articles such as pictures, photographs and certificates of award or recognition. For documents signifying important milestones such high school or college graduation, the attainment of professional license, or the attainment of significant recognition, expensive framing such as the traditional picture frame that is used for the wall mounting of articles is employed. Such framing is also used to display pictures such as graduation or wedding photos.
This type of traditional framing is expensive and usually involves rigid three-dimensional structures that require some form of hooking device mounted on the wall working in tandem with a wire or protrusion attached to the back of the frame in order to hang the frame on to the surface of a wall. Another type of framing device utilizes a brace that extends from the back of the frame, thereby allowing the frame to stand on a level surface such as a desk or table top.
For certain needs, a shortcoming of both of these framing devices is that their relative cost prevents them from being widely used to display informal candid photographs of people, pets, or scenery taken during parties, vacations, or everyday occurrences. Many such photographs are displayed on a refrigerator, filing cabinet or locker using a magnet. Such method of display offers no form of protection for the articlexe2x80x94nor is it particularly attractive aesthetically. This lack of protection results, in many cases, in some type of disfigurement of the displayed article, either in the form of torn or curled edges or damage to the face of the article.
Another form of informal display involves putting the article beneath a glass table or desk top or the clear cover sheet of a desk blotter. Such display is limited in that the article is usually visible only to the person sitting behind the desk or table.
Other types of inexpensive framing devices employ smooth, static cling film, tacks or tape to secure a photograph to a flat surface such as a wall. While inexpensive, tape or static cling film have a shortcoming in that either can lose its mounting properties over time. Also, when an adhesive is used, the adhesive may either leave a residue on or mar the mounting surface once the framing device is removed. Additionally, the static cling film can be difficult to work with in that it can bunch up and stick to itself, thereby making mounting difficult. And a framing device made with such film is not very sturdy and, therefore, not ideally suited for long-term use.
Still another inexpensive framing device is sold under the Magnetic FREEZ.A.FRAME(trademark) name. Such device uses a smooth backing having magnetic properties. The display side of the magnetic backing is imprinted around the edges with some message such as xe2x80x9cMy Birthday,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cFriends.xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cI Love You.xe2x80x9d A clear protective sheet is heat sealed to the edges of the display side of the magnetic backing in such a manner that one of the edges remains open so that the photograph to be displayed can be slid in between the protective sheet and the backing. In addition to being sealed along the edges, the protective sheet is heat sealed on three sides at a position between the edge and the center of the backing sheet. This second seal provides a snug fit in which to secure a picture.
Because it utilizes a magnet, the FREEZ.A.FRAME(trademark) device can only be displayed on a metallic surface. In addition, because the border of the FREEZ.A.FRAME(trademark) device is prelabeled with a message for a particular occasion, the device is not xe2x80x9cuniversalxe2x80x9d in application; that is, it does not lend itself to use with a variety of types of articles to be displayed.
An easy-to-use framing device and method for making such a device that addresses problems and shortcomings of earlier framing devices and methods would be an important advance in the art.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved framing device for photographs, certificates and the like that overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved framing device for photographs, certificates and the like that is durable yet inexpensive.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved framing device for photographs, certificates and the like that is capable of adhering to a variety of metal and non-metal surfaces.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved framing device for photographs, certificates and the like that is capable of being removed from a mounting surface without marring or leaving a residue on the surface.
How these and other objects are accomplished will become apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings.
The invention involves an improved framing device for displaying items such as photographs, certificates and the like. The framing device is comprised of a translucent sheet-like material having both an outward side (i.e., a side toward the viewer of an article being displayed in the device) and an inward side toward the article. Both sides of the sheet-like material are bounded by and have a continuous common edge. An adhesive is applied along the inward side adjacent to the continuous edge in such a manner that at least a portion of the edge remains adhesive-free. That is, the adhesive is xe2x80x9cdiscontinuousxe2x80x9d in that it does not extend entirely around the central viewing region through which the article is visible.
A sheet of backing material has a first (xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d) side (i.e., a side toward the translucent material and, when an article is displayed, toward such article) and a second (xe2x80x9cbackxe2x80x9d) side. At least the back side of such backing material has adherent properties. The sheet of backing material is positioned so that a portion of its first side adheres to the adhesive, thereby fixing the sheet of backing material with respect to the translucent material. A release liner adheres to the second side of the backing material.
The article to be displayed is inserted into the device through a slot defined by the adhesive-free portion of the edge and the sheet of backing material. And, of course, such article may be later removed through such slot.
In one embodiment of the invention, the adherent properties of the backing material result from a coating that is applied to at least its back side.
In another embodiment of the invention, the translucent sheet-like material has a frame imprinted on one of its sides. In still another embodiment, the first side of the backing material is treated with polypropylene so as to allow the displayed item to slide more easily between the backing material and the translucent sheet-like material. In the more preferred embodiment of the invention, the combined thickness of the sheet of backing material and the layer of polypropylene is no more than 29 mils.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the translucent sheet-like material includes a central viewing region, and the adhesive extends away from the continuous edge of the sheet-like material toward the viewing region by a dimension of approximately xc2xdxe2x80x3. In a more preferred embodiment, the translucent sheet-like material has a thickness no greater than 10 mils. In such an embodiment, the adhesive applied to the translucent sheet-like material forms a layer that, most preferably, is no more than 10 mils. thick.
A method for making a device for framing photographs, certificates and the like includes the steps of printing, on a sheet of translucent material having an outward side and an inward side, a frame pattern on one of the sides. While extremely thin (when applied by, e.g., silk screen printing), such frame pattern gives or can give the visual impression of a frame having substantially greater thickness.
A discontinuous layer of adhesive is applied to the inward side of the translucent material. That is, the layer of adhesive does not extend entirely around the edge of the translucent material or, in the case of xe2x80x9cgang-manufacturedxe2x80x9d devices, around that portion of the translucent material which will form such edge in the finished device.
A sheet of backing material is adhered to the adhesive and substantially simultaneously, the translucent material and the backing material are cut into a desired shape, e.g., a rectangular or oval framing device.
In a more specific aspect of the method, the adhering step is preceded by the step of treating the first side of the backing material by the application of a substantially tack-free material. In another, more specific aspect of the method, the adhering step is preceded by the step of placing a release liner against the sheet of backing material. Most preferably, treating and release liner placement are both used and a highly preferred treating material is polypropylene sheet or xe2x80x9claminatexe2x80x9d applied to the first side of the backing material.
There is no reason why the new device cannot be made xe2x80x9cone at a time.xe2x80x9d However, a highly preferred aspect of the method results in a number of devices made substantially simultaneously. In such aspect, the printing step includes printing a plurality of frame patterns, and the applying step includes applying a plurality of discontinuous layers of adhesive to the inward side. The adhering step includes adhering a sheet of backing material to each of the plurality of discontinuous layers of adhesive, and the cutting step includes cutting, substantially simultaneously, the translucent material and the backing material into a plurality of desired shapes. The plurality of desired shapes may be substantially identical to one another or may differ.
Further details of the invention are set forth in the following detailed description and in the drawings.